About “Mortal Man”

At the back-end of the song Kendrick interviews the last King of Hip-Hop, Tupac Shakur. The two West Coast MC’s discuss black culture, racism, fame and image. Kendrick realizes he’s the new voice in a long line of leaders. Like Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Tupac Shakur, he understands that he has a limited time, and when speaking with Tupac he knows that has to reach out to the teenagers and recruit them to change the world.

The excerpts of 2Pac’s conversation with Kendrick were taken from a 1994 interview with the Swedish radio show P3 Soul, hosted by Mats Nileskär. You can listen to the interview in its entirety here.

Kendrick also shared his connection to Tupac in an interview with MTV, where he revealed the album was originally titled Tu Pimp A Caterpillar – Tu.P.A.C.

How did Kendrick explain the meaning of this song?

I’ve felt that pressure in Compton, looking at the responsibility I have over these kids. The world started turning into a place where—where so many were getting no justice. You got to step up to the plate. ‘Mortal Man’ is not me saying, ‘I can be your hero.’ “Mortal Man” is questioning: “Do you really believe in me to do this?”

What has Kendrick said about the 2Pac interview in the song?

The answers that Pac is giving are answers for today […] the world’s got to hear this, and they’ve got to hear it on a major scale. I got that opportunity, and I give love and I give thanks to his mother for allowing me to use her son’s vocals in a positive light.

What is the first poem about?

Kendrick’s poem is about racism, gang violence, and personal hardship. He recited pieces of the poem throughout the album, preceding certain tracks. Each piece of the poem relates to the track that follows. In “Mortal Man,” he closes the loop by reciting the poem in its entirety.

A Ghost Of Mandela What Does It Mean?

Kendrick mentions Nelson Mandela several times in this song:
“The ghost of Mandela”
“Want you to love me like Nelson, want you to hug me like Nelson”
“You wanna love like Nelson, you wanna be like Nelson”
“The voice of Mandela”
“That’s not Nelson-like, want you to love me like Nelson”

Notice how hook 1 and hook 3 are different (ghost turns to voice).

Hook 3: “The voice of Mandela”
Kendrick states, in context of the hook, that he hopes to build upon the legacy of Mandela and hopes to be his voice now that he has passed on.

Hook 1: “The ghost of Mandela”
Kendrick wants to have all the characteristics of Mandela in order to build upon his legacy, which will make him serve as an embodiment of Mandela’s ghost.
Essentially, Kendrick is stating that he hopes to be the “ghost” of Mandela.